Quick Navigation

Stress

Stress (particularly distress) is excessive stimulation of the body's resources that eventually manifests negative symptoms such as fatigue or depression. Several supplements, such as adaptogens, are thought to reduce the development of stress.

Kamal
Research analysis lead by Kamal Patel
All content reviewed by Examine.com Team. Published:
Last Updated:

Frequently Asked Questions about Stress

3 Science-based steps to curbing your appetite
Fiber, stress relief, and supplement options can help curb your appetite!
Read full answer to "3 Science-based steps to curbing your appetite"
How eating better can make you happier
Food and supplements that can help fight stress, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and help you sleep better.
Read full answer to "How eating better can make you happier"

Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what supplements affect stress
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The mo re evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Outcome Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-c Ashwagandha Notable - See study
Ashwagandha appears to significantly reduce the symptoms of stress and its comorbidities (fatigue, temporary cognitive impairment, etc.) as well as biomarkers such as cortisol.
grade-c Centella asiatica Minor - See study
There appears to be stress reducing properties associated with supplementation of this herb at 1g daily, although they may be secondary to anxiety reduction.
grade-c Eurycoma Longifolia Jack Minor - See study
Supplementation of eurycoma in stressed persons appears to reduce subjective perceptions of stress.
grade-c Fish Oil Minor - See study
Self-reported stress in distressed women given fish oil supplementation appears to be reduced
grade-c Ginkgo biloba  
grade-c Krill Oil  
grade-c L-Tyrosine  
grade-c Melissa officinalis  
grade-c Phosphatidylserine  
grade-c Rhodiola Rosea  
grade-c Rose Essential Oil  
grade-c Soy lecithin  
grade-c Dehydroepiandrosterone  
grade-c Lavender  
grade-c Theanine  
grade-d Kava  
grade-d Pyrroloquinoline quinone  

All comparative evidence is now gathered in our ​A-to-Z Supplement Reference.

The evidence for each separate supplement is still freely available ​here.

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 0 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of references for this page.

Examine.com is intended to be used for educational and information purposes only. Examine.com and its Editors do not advocate nutritional supplementation over proper medical advice or treatment and this sentiment will never be expressed through pages hosted under Examine.com. If using any pharmaceuticals or drugs given to you by a doctor or received with a prescription, you must consult with the doctor in question or an equally qualified Health Care Professional prior to using any nutritional supplementation. If undergoing medical therapies, then consult with your respective Therapist or Health Care Professional about possible interactions between your Treatment, any Pharmaceuticals or Drugs being given, and possible nutritional supplements or practices hosted on Examine.com.

Examine.com does not assume liability for any actions undertaken after visiting these pages, and does not assume liability if one misuses supplements. Examine.com and its Editors do not ensure that unforeseen side effects will not occur even at the proper dosages, and thereby does not assume liability for any side effects from supplements or practices hosted under the domain of Examine.com.

Popular Supplements

TOP NUTRITION ARTICLES

Never miss an update!

Your e-mail is safe with us. We don’t share personal data.
Tweet